When Robert Morris defeated Lindenwood University on Saturday afternoon 4-2 in Wentzville, Missouri, it was more than just a ending to a closely contested match.
The Colonials completed a ten game, 6,000-plus-mile road trip that started out in Mankato, Minnesota, and had stops in Orono, Maine, Providence, Rhode Island, State College, Pennsylvania, and Wentzville, Missouri.
Only one of those games ended with the score on the side opposite of the Colonials on the ledger, a 5-2 loss to Maine on Oct. 14. They finished the journey 7-1-2. Head coach Paul Colontino had nothing but high praise for how his team handled the trip.
“It’s a good experience for all of our players,” Colontino said. “We have eight new players on our team. A third of our team is new and the first third of our games are on the road. When you do have a lot of new players, it does allow a lot of opportunity for bonding and chemistry. From a learning standpoint, we liked that towards the end of it our players didn’t have any excuses.”
Captain Amanda Pantaleo quantified the experience from a scoring perspective.
“I think its good to get multiple people scoring,” she said. “The confidence rises and people realize what they are capable of. We don’t have to rely on the same people scoring. It gives people confidence to know that they can do it.”
Saturday, the Colonials got on the board early as first-year defender Emily Curlett rocketed a shot from the through traffic and past Lions goaltender Jolene deBruyn. A second goal by Brittany Howard increased the Colonials lead to two, but it was short-lived, as Lindenwood struck on goals by Cierra Paisley and Hannah Alt. Pantaleo and Jaycee Gebhard gave the Colonials all the scoring that they needed to put the Lions away.
Elijah Milne-Price received the start net and elevated her record to 6-0-2 on the season with a 20-save performance. It was her sixth straight game played and she’s started five of those six.
NOTES
After Kirsten Welsh set the Robert Morris defender career points record Friday, fellow junior Maggie LaGue and senior Katherine Murphy exchanged the career assists record, with LaGue gathering her 50th career point in the process. … The Colonials finished the road trip with a record of 7-1-2, besting the 2012-13 mark of 6-2-2 for a 10-game road swing
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Colonials will spend the next month in the confines of the Island Sports Center, as they host RIT on Nov. 10-11 before enjoying a week off. After the bye week the Colonials face their toughest test yet in a home matchup with Ohio State — the current No. 4 team in the nation.
